Last night’s headlining set at Cal Jam 2018 in San Bernardino, California, was hosted by a surprise set by Nirvana. Surviving members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic were joined by Joan Jett, John McCauley, and Brody Dalle to bring the second annual music festival a rare performance from the grunge-rock outfit since the death of the band’s frontman Kurt Cobain.
The set was filled with a variety of songs from their critically acclaimed albums Nevermind and In Utero. This includes performances of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, “All Apologies”, “In Bloom”, “Breed”, “Serve the Serpents”, and “Scentless Apprentice”.
The stand-in artists singing Cobain’s words were Blackhearts front-woman Joan Jett and John McCauley of the alternative/indie rock band Deer Tick. Both artists have performed with Grohl and Novoselic before during the band’s set after their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony and a secret show in Brooklyn, respectively. Backing vocals from Brody Dalle (the Distillers) were present during the performance of “All Apologies” to close their set. 
This was a major surprise from the new music festival which is curated by Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters. Cal Jam 2018 already boasted a powerful lineup consisting of Iggy Pop, Billy Idol, Tenacious D, Greta Van Fleet, and more.
In their past and rare shows, Nirvana has been joined by an arsenal of prolific musicians. This included the likes of Paul McCartney, Lorde, Beck, St. Vincent, Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth), and J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.).
Watch the full set below.
Nirvana 2018 setlist:
“Serve The Servants” (with John McCauley)
“Scentless Apprentice” (with McCauley)
“In Bloom” (with McCauley)
“Breed” (with Joan Jett)
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” (with Joan Jett)
“All Apologies” (with Joan Jett and Brody Dalle)
